Show PARISIAN PARLE The Phenomena of HypnotisM Crapplf With Uasseneti Manon the New Opera Briefly Deicrlbed Items In and About tie French Capital With a Few Readable Paragraphs of Pleasantry a Special correspondence of the HERALD PARIS January 23d 18S4 It is with feelings akin to relief that public curioaity finds occupation in animal magnetism from the wearisome questions of Tonkin Egypt strikes revolutionary meetings meet-ings and monarchial caucuses Scientists have at last resolved to grapple with the phenomena of hypnotism a generic name for the conduct of persons aflected with hysterical hys-terical epilepsy A navy doctor remaud of Brest was selected to make a report as to what science actually ac-tually knew of the strange mesmeric experiments at present eo extensively exhibited by charlatanism Dr Bre manda experience of every part of the world as he has just stated before I a reunion of medical and scientific authorities leads him to this conclusion conclu-sion there are individuals perfectly healthy in body and mind but susceptible sus-ceptible of being thrown into the hy ponetio state namely of lethargy catalepsy and somnambulism similarly simi-larly as persons suffering from hysteria hys-teria and epilepsy These stages are gradual with the hysterically predisposed fascination precedes lethargy where the patient becomes between the hands of the operator a simple automaton unconsciously un-consciously obeying every impulsion The second stage easily produced is the lethargic next muscular contraction contrac-tion or catalepsy The last stage is somnambulism where the faculties acquire an extraordinary power The lecturer stated he had patients in a state of somnambulism seated beside his study fire who were able to hear two persons spaking in a low one to each otherin the street a distance of fifty five yards Another patient resolved solved a trigonometrical problem that he did not comprehend before being thrown into the somnambnlio condition condi-tion and that he could not resolve on being awakened Illustrations were given of subjects obeying all the whims and oddities ths docto required re-quired of them j Next a prism weg j Jed before their eyes when they r n zed the two figures that which roved there was no hallucination Next by placing a screen between the two eyes a comic and a frightful picture were presented to the subject with the result of one half of his lace displaying dis-playing joy and the other contracted from terror Thus we are in presence of the annihilation of will of self of the disjunction of functions whose union constitutes ordinary mental life of states of insensibility and of lethargy leth-argy when lie itself seems to disappear disap-pear of rigidity and of augmented excitation of the nerves where the muscle senses and certain intellec tual faculties attain an extraordinary development The doctor lays no claim to producing produc-ing nsw facts certain people can be unconsciously magnetizedand seem to like that situation He does not believe in nervous or magnetic fluids physical agents suffice to produce the phenomena the operator counts for nothing Thai the admission of a ray of light entering an obscure room and striking the eyes of a predisposed individual will induce hypnotism The doctor opnfesseBhe has no theory to broach science has no explanation to offer but he recommends the study of the phenomena over as wide a field ol obaervatin as possible An income tax that sound unpleasant un-pleasant to the Volsciana ears is in the air The minister of finance sees no other way of raising the wind but by a new or increased taxation He swears by air the gods of Olympus that no newoffices shall be created and the functionary who dares to memorialize for an addition tn his salary sal-ary will be served with a notice to quitThe The government the municipality of Paris and a few newspapers have been inquiring into the prevailing distress among the working classes I The conclusion is i that the misery is very real It is gratifying to find that the unemployed do not belong to the Anarchists But what is less satisfactory satisfac-tory no one can indicate a solution One of the leading builders of Pails states two years must elapse ere the building trades come right again The ragpickers are likely to be made happy the authorities will aflord them more time to root among the dustboxes of householders before the contents be carted away I One of the most striking proofs of I the progreas of Par eianein taking an I interest in matters outside the fortifications fortifi-cations is the dispatch by a metropolitan metro-politan journal of a live special correspondent cor-respondent to Tonkin to the seat ef war Perhaps there is truth in the general observation that Parisians having been indifferent about colonies may explain why France displayed but little interest heretofore in the matter When Voltaire observed the loss of the Canadas represented only a few roods less of snow he expressed ex-pressed the feelings of Parisians E The writer in question denounces the Suez canal aa very ugly but ita atilt ity Its importance must ba estimated esti-mated by the shipping passing through ai Herodotus to impress us with the vastness of the Great Pyramid Pyra-mid supplies the quantities of onions consumed by the workmen in its construction con-struction Port Said it appears is nothing but a gigantic European brothel tempered with a moneyor yourlifs male element Suez is the Arabian Cytheria The stokers of the packets when passing through the Red Sea have the slenderest of fig leaf toilettes and the place where the bad niggers go tc ought to have no secrets for them should it be their fate ever to be sent there M Massenet the composer of the operas the Roi de Lahore and Hero diade has won a fresh success in his Manon It is to be regretted that he I did not bestow his talent on a more I fitting subject than the 01d153 years of agesmutty novel of the Abbe Prevost It is the trite story of unchaste un-chaste and adulterous women appeal ing for sympathy to the society they outraged for the natural punishment of their misconduct lingering neglect neg-lect d and ignominious death Ail the spare time and help we have ought to be devoted to virtue in rags Passionate love does not beautify corruption cor-ruption Manon Lesoaut was a beautiful beau-tiful young girl of a proud familyon her way to a convent school at Amiens where the dilligence changed horses she encountered a Chevalier Desgrieux they no sooner saw but they lovedand eloped Subsequently they came to Paris Deegrieux living with but always intending in-tending to marry Manonhis mistress Deegrieux was arrested by his father and sent to the seminary of St Sul pice to be educated for the church Manon became a demimondian till discovering the whereabouts of Des grieux she found her way as a penitent peni-tent to make her confession to the seminary and obducted the young priest The unfortunate couple led a wandering life finding in the lower deep a lower still be was imprisoned for gambling she was transported asa as-a prostitute and ultimately the beautiful beau-tiful sinner expired on the sands at Havre in the arms of Desgrieux who had organized a rescue Halary and scribe attempted unsuccessfully to set the story to music Maaaanet has been more fortunate The music is written with great elegance and is attractively curious from many novelties novel-ties in point ot operatic treatment It ia a contineen exchange of melody between the orchestra and the artistes full of unexpected modulations grave soft and pOEtic The best songs are loose executed oy MADOD and Desgrieur on their first meet ng then the dust in the seminary the gambling house and her death the latter did not succeed as a hitas in the i Dame aux Oamelias and FvronyFrou Madame Heilbron and M8olazio 1 interpret tho music absolutely perfectas perfect-as in the novel so in the operathere are only two roles Massanet ic i his earlier days was a Wagnerian and subscribes still to that composers natural or scientific ideas in principle princi-ple Musseoet aims to surround his characters wih their ppeclal t lyrical and dramatic atmospheres each has the music peoular to their roles thus Manon has hers tray and melancholy local dare it be saidhuman One of the librettists is Meilhao but who detests nusio like Theophile Sautier that held the only difference between ordinary noises and mueio was the latter was the most wearisome and costly In one of the leading thoroughfares of the city a railway official on arriving arriv-ing home found his wife tied hand and foot gagged and lying on the floor just as the robbers had left herat her-at 5 oclock p mf after carrying off the family linen the mantel piece clock money and spoons One Chautoiael has been acquitted by the jury of St Briene he caughi a man in flagrance delicto with his spouse With a log of wood he killed Lothario and then requested the family to come fetch and bury the corpse A Paris jury has just sentenoed a batch of promoters of swindling companies to several years of imprisonment and which will contribute to the purification purifica-tion of the financial atmosphere A member of the jockey club having lost his fortune at play blew out his brains the report was then spread he died from natural causes perfectly correct A cabby has been sent to prison for three month for attempting attempt-ing to tan the skin of his fare who refused re-fused to pay 900 per cent above the legal tariff M Marcel Deprez has delivered avery a-very interesting lecture at the Sor bone on the employment of electricity elec-tricity as a motive power Indeed his name is prominently identified with the idea He exhibited a very respectable res-pectable Nasmyth hammer worked by electricity that coald crack nuts as well aa bend huge bars of iron In a few weeks be intends to be able to supply Paris with electricity aa others do with water and gas from a factory in course of construction at Creil thirtythree miles from Paris Fairplay Frenchmen even are pleased at the nomination of Cninese Gordon for the Soudan better late than never the French would have no objection to join in the work of dual pacification perhaps they are less hot about Egypt aa they conclude con-clude they have a superior Bonanza Bo-nanza ill the fu ure with the Celestial Celes-tial Empire While de Brazza like the princes of the earth is going to and fro on the Congo the Madagascar question is likely to enter upon a new phase Perjgord ia not only the land of Truffles and Gaseous it is tho nursery nur-sery ground also of kings The An thon family claims to have given Deya to Algiers a Tallyrand had a hairbreadth escape from being elected king of Poland the attorney de Jou nens died fn exile Orlit I of Patagonia Pata-gonia At present anether native one Bonnet of Malageae extractions claims the crown of Madagascar by right of descent Wax works do not pay in Paria though supported by the authorities who send models of all unidentified prisoners there A panorama is now added of passing events The future of China is promised the Marquese Tseng had better look sharp or the Philistines will scale the walls When cheap lodging accommodation accommoda-tion occupies so deeply the 1 alum mers tere is a straight tip from Pekin An enterprising native phil antropist has opened a casual ward of his own price for the night half a farthing The establishment consists con-sists of a large hall the floor covered with two feet of ducks feathers Customers Cus-tomers make their own shake up Hugs were at one time supplied till the tenants took them away as souvenirs souve-nirs or converted them into jupons on the spot Magistrate to prisoner slightly deaf What brought you to the look up II iwo policemen Now was it i not intoxication Yes mon juge they were both drunk Worth adopting The government accords new years gifts in money to the actors of the Theatre Fran cais but pays the amount to each in twelve monthly installments A toper boasts that it is easier to get into Roguette the prison than into the French academy Master to his valet who has come home tipsy and was waiting to go to the Opera Francois you have been drinking again I Yes sir I J met a native of my city and we had a glassTo what city doea he belong be-long Paris sir |